Liquid Sculpey experiment

I decided to make some Liquid Sculpey transfers using magazine images for my AB class. It is often called Translucent Liquid Sculpey or TLS.

The first thing I did was spread the TLS over the magazine images. The instructions said a THIN layer, so I tried to add a thin layer to the pieces. Even laying it on thinly, I used nearly 1/3 of the bottle on those two pieces. I allowed the images to sit for a few minutes, making sure there were no holes or air bubbles in the TLS, while also allowing the TLS to self-level.

Next, I baked the pieces for 15 minutes per the instructions. The pieces were milky when they came out of the oven. The instructions were to allow to cool slightly, but while still warm, drop the pieces in warm water and allow to sit for a few minutes. I had merely taken the pieces out of the dedicated toaster oven and taken the photos when I picked the pieces up and they were already cool to the touch.

Undaunted, I dropped the images into the water and allowed them to sit for awhile.

The instructions were to "peel gently" and I did just that, but you can see that I tore the polymer film in several places while doing so. Also, this is the "back" side or the side that was exposed to the ink. The front side (which we use in packing tape transfers) was still milky. Either I didn't get enough TLS on the pieces before I baked them, or I didn't bake them properly. Either way, the pieces just crumbled in my hands, no matter how gentle I was removing the backing.

Once again I learned a lot from this experiment. I now know I won't be making TLS transfers again. I will use the pricey TLS for other projects.